Costa Rica promotes the “Discover Mariculture Plan”, an alternative that proposes to take advantage of the cultivation of marine organisms, plants and animals in the 1,228 kilometers of coastline in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
“Our coasts present favorable conditions for the development of mariculture, with different characteristics that allow the implementation of crops at different scales and of various species,” said Jonathan Chacón, manager of this project, one of the 12 that make up the Discover Program.
The Discover Program
Discover, an initiative led by the Ministry of Foreign Trade (Comex), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (Procomer), with the support of the Development Banking System (SBD), the private sector and academia, has proposed 12 value chains to work in 2021.They are abaca, mariculture, beef, hemp, turmeric, papaya, cocoa, cassava by-products, sweet potatoes, goat products, blackberries, and insects.
The president of the National Chamber of Exporters of Fishery and Aquaculture Products, Patrick Roulet, said that from the private sector they see great potential for making strategic alliances to position the country as a leader in the region, where they reflect research actions, continuous improvement and competitiveness.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae), among the advances of Discover Maricultura are the extension of the concession for the use of marine space from 10 to 20 years and the creation of a decree to assess the environmental impact of this activity.
Likewise, the presentation of the project to potential foreign investors, planning of market studies (local and international) and the programming of a diagnosis of the sector for this year.
Multiplier effect
The head of the MAG, Renato Alvarado, pointed out that they want to multiply the country’s experience in this field, on a small and large scale, in snapper, shrimp and oyster farming, generating synergy between state institutions and private companies.The chief of Comex, Andrés Valenciano stressed that mariculture is an activity that, apart from being novel, is sustainable with the environment.
For her part, the Minister of Environment and Energy Andrea Meza assured that the blue economy seeks to preserve the health of the ocean while promoting activities for the benefit of coastal communities.
Mariculture, carried out in a sustainable way, is an example of this economic recovery hand in hand with the environment, he said and commented that the actions developed are important and must be strengthened with marine spatial planning and governance mechanisms to ensure the health of the ecosystem.
